Page 17 of Phoenix's Fire

"Oh. Okay?"

So Naomi gently pressed along Meri's stomach, judging the swell of the child inside her. A few times, she nodded, but the look on her face was a little too serious. I watched. I forgot to keep talking because I knew how dangerous pregnancy was. I nearly forgot to breathe.

"Okay," Naomi finally said. "Meri, I'm going to call this a high-risk pregnancy. I would recommend you stay with Jeera and Brielle - "

"Who?" Meri asked.

"Brielle is another woman. My own roommate," Jeera explained. "Like me, she has a tail, but she's Mom's main nurse. I only help sometimes."

"Oh, okay," Meri agreed.

"And," Naomi said, turning to look at her daughter, "Meri is going to need a lot of meat. Protein, Jeera. I would like her to put on at least ten pounds, but that might not be possible. The child is small, she's malnourished, and she'll need muscle more than weight."

"So a lot of walking," Jeera said, nodding to show she understood. "Means we can come visit you, Ayla."

"Or I can come visit you," I offered Meri. "Just like I wanted to when you got married."

Jeera made a thoughtful sound. "I think we should also consider taking her to meet Father Dayne."

"And have her marriage annulled?" I asked.

"Ayla!" Meri hissed, trying to snap at me and be quiet about it. "I'm pregnant!"

"The marriage was consummated," I explained to my friends.

"Clearly," Jeera teased. Then she waved it off. "Meri, that doesn't matter. See, in Lorsa, rape is a crime."

"That's not a word we're supposed to use in the compound," I explained. "I learned it from my books."

"Okay…" Naomi breathed. "Meri, rape is when a man has sex with you but you didn't agree. It doesn't matter if you were married, if you weren't, or anything else. If he lies, or hurts you, forces you, or has sex with you in any way you do not want, then it is rape. To us, that is a very serious crime."

"And it means you don't have to stay married to Gideon if you don't want to," I added. "You weren't given a choice."

"I was, Ayla," Meri countered. "Gideon courted me, and proposed, and I accepted. I said yes!"

"There's always divorce," Jeera said. "That's what we do when you no longer want to be married."

"What?" Meri asked, but this time it was surprise instead of confusion.

"Mhm," Jeera almost purred. "Women are allowed to change their minds and undo it. I can tell you all about it tonight, if you'd like?"

Meri glanced at me one more time, then back to Jeera. "I think I'd like that. Thank you."

"And I promise I will answerallthe questions you have," Jeera said. "Doesn'tmatter how long that takes or how improper you think they might be. Meri, Ayla is my dear friend, so I think that means we will be good friends too, right?"

Meri quickly licked her lips. "I hope so," she breathed.

"And none of these people will hurt you," I promised. "If they try, Meri, I will punish them. Here, I'm allowed to, and I swear to you that I will protect you."

"Okay," Meri mumbled, her short answers showing how overwhelmed she was.

Which was when Zasen cleared his throat. "First, I think our newest refugee needs a meal. Ladies, the table is yours. Dinner is served."

I stood and offered Meri my hand. "Meat, fungus, vegetables, and tubers."

"No fungus this time," Zasen corrected.

"Oh." I shrugged. "But lots of the rest. The meat is a bird I shot myself. It's going to be okay, Meri. You'll see. The surface is nothing like you were told, and it's okay to be confused, but we'll show you everything."

---